The band Patrons of the Rotting Gate is actually a solo project of the highly talented Andrew Millar of Ireland. The complete album is the result of the hardwork and dedication of this man alone, he not only writes all the music, performs all the instruments (band-mate Adam Irwin contributes to a few of the guitar tracks), does all the vocal and lyrics, but also handles all the recording, mixing and mastering of the record! Along with creating the artwork!

The band is categorized as a ‘Progressive Black Metal’ band, but after giving the album a few spins categorizing it as a pure black metal release is next to impossible, there is just so much of technicality and variation in the music from start to end.

Doing a track by track review would be quite pointless for “The Rose Coil”, as the tracks seamlessly flow from one to the next, creating a wonderfully haunting experience for the listener. The ambitious approach behind the album is quite evident, and it pays off. the most beautiful part was the mixing of the militant violent heavy parts with slower mournful doom-ish parts, which is done in an amazing manner. The production quality is top notch, setting an example for all the bedroom black metal projects that sound like raw noise due to their poor production values.

“Secrets in the Soil” slows down the tempo after a blistering heavy start to the album, giving it a mournful vibe. The constant drum and bass beats create a melancholic doomish atmosphere making it an amazing listening experience. With just a single stanza of lyrics that leaves the listeners unnerved:

“Pale Spectres Confounded, Resting on Guilty Shoulders,

I See Them Haunting Every Step.”

One of the standout tracks is “Chest of Light”, the track showcases amazing sync of piano and guitar melodies. It also strikes the right balance between technical choppy riffs, and the traditional black metallic disharmonic riffs. With the drum constantly pounding in the background it creates a wonderful effect overall.

“A Perfect Suicide” is another track that stands out from the rest, beginning with a slow bass driven tempo before blasting off into the black metal blast beats. It creates a horrifying image in the minds of the listeners of a person who just needs to die, he MUST DIE! Have to commend the writing process here, as the lyrics are completely haunting:

“With blades in both hands, breaching the gut,

of people who will never hear their name spoken in majesty.

Sitting in a bloodied lotus pose,

bathed in the arrogance of his twisted meditation.”

Andrew Millar

Overall “The Rose Coil” is an amazing album, a highly technical progressive black metal record that deserves far more attention than it currently gets. With Patrons of the Rotting Gate, Andrew Millar has once again pushed the boundaries of Black Metal further. A must listen for fans of Deathspell, Omega and the like. The album is dark and scary! Do read the lyrics (pdf booklet is present along with the download), to truly enjoy the haunting journey that clock a few minutes shy of an hour. A must listen black metal album.

“The Rose Coil” by Patrons of the Rotting Gate can be streamed below. It’s available for pay-what-you-want download on Bandcamp. Do throw in a few bucks for the amazing talented musician that Andrew Millar has shown the world he is with this debut record.

9/10Reviewed By: Vidur Paliwal

<a href="http://patronsoftherottinggate.bandcamp.com/album/the-rose-coil-2">The Rose Coil by Patrons of The Rotting Gate</a>